Today, the group enjoyed historical site visits and free time at the beach. We began our day with a two hour drive to Varosi, the ghost town of Cyprus. Varosi lies in the Turkish Republic of Cyprus, meaning we had to go through several checkpoints before entering the once-vibrant city. First, we passed through the Cyprus Republic checkpoint, then we drove through the UN buffer zone, and finally, we went to the Turkish checkpoint. We had to show our passports at each stop. By the time we had arrived at the Turkish checkpoint, the area was incredibly eerie. We could already see the abandoned buildings, many acting as military bases. Additionally, these abandoned communities were surrounded by gates and barbed wire and signs that warned tourists not to take any pictures. I was surprised to find out that we needed to be escorted by a Turkish representative in order to even make it through the checkpoints. Varosi was once a sought-after tourist destination. Now, it is in ruins, which was terrifying. The beautiful beach and old resorts are now completely abandoned. Cypriots were taken from their homes and made foreigners and refugees in their own country. What is most interesting about Varosi, however, is the Turkish Republic’s attempt to rebuild the city. They were advertising new resorts and upscale restaurants, which was a clearly propaganda to distract from the destruction of lives and buildings.

Staying within the Turkish territory — which, by the way, is not accepted by the UN and is considered an illegal territory – we traveled to Famagusta. There, we saw the ancient walls from medieval times that surrounded the city. We also saw the Lala Mustafa Pasha Cathedral, which lies in the town center. Interestingly, the Cathedral was once a church but was converted to a mosque during the Turkish invasion. The Turks put the name of the mosque outside of the Cathedral in order to make it seem as though it had been a mosque all along. We were unable to go inside the mosque because there was prayer happening inside. We also saw the Venetian Castle and Othello’s Tower that was along the ancient wall. When the British occupied Cyprus, they added a lighthouse on the wall. Famugusta was stunning. It had great sites, shops, and restaurants. Yet, the entire time I could not stop thinking about what we had just seen in Varosi. Varosi, a city of even greater vibrance than Famagusta, was turned into a ghost town overnight by the same people running Famaugusta. 

The most interesting part of today was hearing from one of our guides, Smaragda, about the effect of the Turkish invasion on the Cypriot people. In 1974, Cyprus was separated by Turkey. As mentioned, Cypriots were taken from their homes and made into refugees in their own country. They were forced to be Turkish Cypriots and erase their Greek roots. Until 2004, they could not see their friends or family living in the rest of the country. In 2004, the UN arranged a buffer zone and checkpoints to allow people to move freely from both sides, which was where we went through. Yet, many Greek Cypriots refused to go to Turkish territory because they did not want to recognize it as an independent state. The other fascinating story we heard was from our tour guide, Dimitra. She told us that a friend of hers was scheduled to get married on the same day of the Turkish invasion of Varosi, where she lived. The morning of her wedding, she woke up to the sounds of bombs and screams. She was ripped from her home and taken into Turkish territory. On the ride, she began to cry about what would happen to her wedding dress. Everyone laughed. No one could understand the terror that was inflicted upon them. None of them could ever return. Their homes were all destroyed, and everything they had was taken.